Colcrys Side Effects: Its Improper Use Can Be Deadly

Some people may not realize that colchicine (Colcrys side effects, a medication used to treat mild and acute gout, can also be deadly. Overdoes of colchicine can result in serious complications such as heart failure, liver failure, multiple organ failure, and even death. Be mindful of colchicine side effects so that you can act accordingly for your safety.

Introduction: What is Colchicine?

It is a medication that is used to treat gout, a type of arthritis that affects the joints in the feet and legs. It is also used to treat kidney stones. It works by breaking up the crystals that form in a joint, but numerous adverse effects of the medicine have been recorded due to misuse.

What is Colchicine Made Of?

Colchicine is an alkaloid that was initially recommended for the treatment of gout in the sixth century A.D. The medicine was derived from two plants in the lily family called autumn crocus colchicum autumnale and Gloriosa superba. It is still frequently used in modern medicine for the treatment of acute gout.

Colchicum Autumnale

The autumn crocus colchicum autumnale, or meadow saffronis is a toxic flowering plant that blooms in the fall and looks like a crocus but is actually a member of the family colchicaceae. Despite the common moniker, “naked ladies” refers to the fact that the flowers arise before the leaves do. 

Gloriosa Superba

Common names for this plant include fire lily, tiger claw, agnishikha, tiger lily, tiger paw, gloriosa lily, and agnishikha.

This plant is poisonous; even small amounts can be harmful to humans and animals. It has been used to commit murder, commit suicide, and kill animals. The tuberous rhizomes are particularly toxic, but the entire plant is hazardous. This plant, like others in the Colchicaceae family, contains the poisonous alkaloid colchicine in rather high concentrations. It also contains the alkaloid gloriocine. A toxic dose of plant material can cause nausea, vomiting, numbness and tingling in the mouth, burning in the throat, abdominal pain diarrhea nausea, all within a few hours.

When was Colchicine Discovered?

Imagine what acute gout flares must have been like before the discovery of medicine. In the 18th century colchicine was the main ingredient of Eau Medicinale, a commercial treatment for gout invented by a French military officer named Nicolas Husson.

But if it was not for Nicolas Husson, the Americans would have been suffering from gout for a long time. It was Benjamin Franklin is credited with introducing the medication to the United States after using it to successfully cure his gout.

In 1820, French scientists Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph-Bienaimé Caventou discovered the medication, and in 1833, German scientist Philipp Lorenz Geiger refined the active constituent and gave it the name colchicine.

Despite its lengthy history of use, the FDA did not approve it for the treatment of gout or familial Mediterranean fever FMF until 2009, as part of the Unapproved Drugs Initiative.

Colchicine’s involvement in the treatment of coronary artery disease and even COVID-19 infection is being researched, and it is used to treat a wide range of dermatological disorders in addition to gout and familial Mediterranean fever FMF.

Who Makes Colchicine?

Many of you may wonder who makes the medicine. There are hundreds of companies worldwide that make it. There are who just produce generic medicine that is brandless and some are branded such as Colcrys and Mitigare which are popular in the US. In India and China, there are hundreds of companies who make the medication.

Colchicine Side Effects

It is generally considered to be a safe drug, with no serious side effects. However, patients need to consult their doctor before taking the medicine. Even when following the right dose, some people have experienced abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and another discomfort. Misuse has resulted in multiple organ failures and even death.

Common Colchicine Side Effects

When taking the medicine, some people may experience common colchicine side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. If these side effects occur, it is important to seek medical help right away. In some cases, more serious side effects such as chest pain and shortness of breath may occur. 

Rare Colchicine Side Effects

Some of the rare side effects are:

• Black tarry stools
• Blood in the urine or stools
• A burning, “crawling”, or tingling feeling in the skin
• Difficulty with breathing when exercising
• Having a fever with or without chills
• A headache
• Large hive-like swellings on the face, eyelids, mouth, lips, or even the tongue
• Experiencing muscle weakness
• Feeling of numbness in the fingers or toes
• Usually mild a pain
• The peeling of the skin
• Having pinpoint red spots on the skin
• Having redness of the skin
• Having a skin rash or hives
• A sore throat
• Sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
• Swelling and tenderness
• Having unusual bleeding or bruising
• Experiencing unusual tiredness or weakness

Foods to Avoid When Taking Colchicine Orally

Its effects could be worsened by grapefruit and grapefruit juice since they increase the drug’s concentration in the body, which is the same as taking an overdose. You shouldn’t consume any foods or beverages containing grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking this medication. Additionally, grapefruit and grapefruit juice have been linked to an abrupt increase in blood pressure.

Colchicine Side Effects Kidney

By mistake, the patient ingested 20 milligrams of the medicine. The victim experienced kidney failure, dehydration, and gastroenterocolitis in the first three days following the poisoning. The patient also experienced a slight injury to the liver cells as well as a decrease in platelets and white blood cells. Colchicine overdose-related renal failure can result from a variety of factors, including fluid loss, low blood pressure, rhabdomyolysis, and organ failure in general. The fact that the patient in this example recovered quickly after receiving fluids indicates that the acute renal insufficiency was most likely caused by hypovolemia. The usage of indomethacin probably exacerbated the impact of colchicine on the kidneys and bone marrow. Like in this case, some colchicine poisonings occur when the dosage used to treat an acute gout attack is miscalculated. A low-dose therapy regimen might aid in preventing these errors.

Colchicine Deaths: How Much Colchicine is Fatal?

Even at therapeutic doses, toxicity can kill (7 mg). A serious overdose can damage many organs and is almost always fatal. There is a case study of someone who took too much of it on purpose.

A 51-year-old man who had a history of gout went to the hospital because he was having stomach pain, feeling sick, throwing up, and having diarrhea. He said that about 14 hours earlier, he had taken 230 colchicine tablets (115 g) and a bottle of whiskey. Treatment was started, but about 27 hours after he took the medication, he died. At the autopsy, changes in the GI tract were consistent with colchicine toxicity. Blood samples taken at admission showed a level of colchicine of 0.10 mg/kg.

Another report talks about how a total dose of 9.3 mg of the medicine can be fatal. Leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and low blood pressure were all signs of the reaction. Disseminated intravascular coagulation and metabolic acidosis. At the autopsy, the bone marrow was found to have very few cells, the trachea and esophagus had abnormal epithelial cells, the liver was damaged in the middle, there was sepsis, and small blood vessels were blocked by fibrin thrombi. There is talk about how the medicine could be harmful.

What to do if you experience a Colchicine Overdose: Emergencies and treatment

If you suspect you are experiencing an overdose of from the medicine, seek medical help immediately. Colchicine poisoning should be suspected in people over the age of 30 who have a history of arthritis or gout and show early gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, or late symptoms like multisystem failure.

Many doctors recommend taking the medication until the gout goes away or until nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea show up. This recommendation can lead to unintentional colchicine overdose, and since the medicine is not a pain reliever and may take up to 12 hours to relieve gout symptoms, many people may not seek treatment until their organs are severely damaged.

If significant multisystem toxicity happens, the arterial blood gases, electrocardiogram, coagulation panel, liver function tests, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), troponin, and urinalysis should be watched. Patients with no symptoms should be watched for at least eight hours to see if they start to throw up, have diarrhea, or show any other early GI symptoms.

Any person with symptoms who might have been poisoned by the medicine should have their heart monitored continuously until their symptoms go away. This is because there is a chance of serious damage to many organs, including irregular heartbeats.

Patients who recover from initial colchicine toxicity must be watched for signs and symptoms of infection. They may also need a complete blood count (CBC) three to seven days after taking it because of the risk of delayed pancytopenia.

Seek medical attention or speak to a medical professional immediately if you suspect you have an overdose.

Conclusion: Remember, Colchicine Side Effects Can Be Deadly

The World Health Organization reported that roughly 41.22 million people suffer from gout (WHO). The medication has assisted a substantially sizable percentage of these gout sufferers with their pain. While it has been linked to very few fatalities such as the case where there was multiple organ failure and another one with disseminated intravascular coagulation, the proportion of those aided by the drug outweighs those who have died as a result of taking it. Simply put, there are dire implications to the wrong use of any medicine.

The purpose of this article is to draw the reader’s attention to the importance of ensuring that the correct dosage of the amazing medicine known as colchicine is taken and as a reminder always consult a doctor and never be self-educated.